Slytherin's Stand
by HeroesNeverLive
Summary: Thomas pointed his wand at the now disarmed death eater before him. He glared at the dark wizard responsible for the death of his classmates, anxious to end his existence. The death eater stood frozen, silently pleading for the adolescent to show mercy. Thomas would give none. With his voice just above a whisper, the young Slytherin sealed his adversarie's fate. "Avada Kedavra."
1. Chapter 1

**I've been sitting on this idea for a while. When I read the Harry Potter books, or really any book for that matter, I'm always frustrated with how merciful and forgiving the hero is. I understand that these actions are what make the hero heroic, but I would still love to see a main character cut loose and give the baddies what they deserve. Enter Slytherin's Stand. This story is going to follow a Slytherin student of Hogwarts that stays behind and fights in the final battle that takes place in the climax of the final book. The first few chapters are going to be build up and back story. I'm really excited for what's to come. I hope this turns out well.**

 **Disclaimer. Cover image is not mine. I found it on google. I think the artist is DeviantArt user sadwonderland but I could be wrong. Should the true artist not wish for me to use the image, they only need to say so. Thanks.**

Thomas didn't need to wonder if something was wrong the moment Professor Slughorn burst through the dungeon doors that led to Slytherin's Dormitory. The man looked out of breath and scared for his life. "Students!" He called for the Slytherins already asleep, rousing them from their slumber. "Students! All of Slytherin House must meet in the Great Hall at once! Come on then! Get up and get dressed! Don't forget your wands! Come on-" He stopped at the sight of Thomas, awake, reading a book by the fireplace, and watching the professor with keen curiosity.

"Thomas… I- Wha- My boy, what are you doing awake?" Professor Slughorn sputtered as weary eyed and half asleep Slytherins began to fill the common room. "Oh no matter. My dear students, we all must go the the great hall at once. I fear something terrible is about to happen. Come now."

The professor started to herd the students out of the dungeon. Thomas was the last to leave. He trailed behind the rest of his house unwilling to be included amongst their ranks. 7 years of being a Slytherin and he has always worn his sigil with pride, until this year. As he watched his housemates use the cruciatus curse on other Hogwarts students and become the pawns of Death Eaters, he very slowly grew to hate his house. Salazar Slytherin was a remarkable wizard, but there was no evidence to suggest he was a dark wizard. At most he could have been considered a dick. But in all of Thomas' studies he could never find reason to believe Salazar Slytherin had embraced the dark arts like modern day Slytherins suggested.

Slughorn's chastising voice pulled Thomas out of his thoughts. The poor man seemed very distraught. What has gotten him so flustered? What could possibly be happening now that is worse than what has been happening all year? Students being tortured and the Deatheaters taking control of Hogwarts didn't cause too much of a fuss. So what could have happened that required to rouse the students in the middle of the night?

All the other Slytherins were about to enter the Great Hall when Thomas saw him. The sight had stopped Thomas dead in his tracks. Harry Potter. He was chasing after Professor Flitwick asking a slew of questions. He had returned. That arrogant bastard returned to Hogwarts and has put them all in danger. And he wasn't even trying to be subtle and sneak through the halls. No, he was running and shouting and letting all of the wizarding world know where exactly he was. It's like he wanted to get all of the students killed. "That mingy git…" Thomas muttered under his breath, anger and fury filling his chest. "That motherf-"

"Thomas! Hurry up now!" Professor Slughorn called for him. Thomas hurried into the Great Hall and took a seat at the Slytherin Table. As soon as he looked up his dark brown eyes locked onto a certain Ravenclaw's deep blue ones across the hall, and for a short moment, he felt a sense of peace.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all those who have read Part 1. Seriously, it means a lot. I'm sorry for the hold up on this update but I was conflicted on how I wanted to do this. Obviously, I want the characters to mean something to the reader so I spent a lot of time on character development. Unfortunately it was getting to be too much so I had to separate it all into different chapters. So I guess we will take this one year at a time with each chapter. I hope you gorgeous mother fuckers enjoy.**

 **And to the reviewer who felt the need to criticize a spelling error, it's called a typo. Get over it.**

Thomas came to Hogwarts seven years ago with one goal in mind. To become the greatest Auror the wizarding world has ever seen. He didn't want to have a boring desk job at the Ministry of Magic like his father and he would rather die before he spent all his days in a shop repairing brooms like his mother. He was going to become something more. Somebody amazing. Hogwarts would sing his name by the time he graduated and all the wizards would know the ashes to riches story of Thomas Wombleton.

His excitement grew when his parents took him to the shop to get his wand. As his parents talked to Garrick Ollivander, Thomas wandered around the shop, fascinated and in awe of all the different wands that were stored there. And to think somewhere on the shelves was what would be his tool, weapon, and companion in the art of magic. He slowly scrutinized each wand, unsure on how he would know which one to take home.

He was brought back to reality at the sound of Garrick Ollivander's voice. "So my boy, preparing for your first year at Hogwarts?"

Thomas returned the wand he was holding to the shelf and turned towards Mr. Ollivander. "Yes sir."

"Fine school. Very fine school," Ollivander mused as he began stack wands on the counter. "Best memories I ever had took place inside those castle walls. Think you'll take after your parents and become a lovely Hufflepuff!?" He asked as he finished stacking an assortment of wands and began to organize them on the countertop.

"Most likely not," replied Thomas as he eyed the wide assortment of magical instruments before him.

"Why do you say that my boy?"

"I suppose I just don't want to be in that house." Thomas said nonchalantly, turning his eyes up to Mr. Ollivander.

The old man chuckled and turned to Thomas' parents. "I suppose your boy would want to make his own path hmm?" He turned back to Thomas. "Nothing wrong with that my boy. Nothing at all. Just be sure that whatever path you chose remains your own. Don't fall victim to the pressures that can be put on by your peers. Can you do that my boy?" Ollivander asked with a kind smile.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now, let us see what wand seeks to have you as its owner."

An hour later Thomas left with his parents cradling his new wand. A dragon heart string core with an oak shell. Ollivander told him that he uses 3 cores, phoenix feathers, dragon heart strings, and unicorn hairs. Dragon heart strings provide powerful spells, Unicorn hairs made up a consistent and dependable wand, and Phoenix feathers were adept with more varieties of magic. Apparently, Thomas' core came from a Hungarian Horntail who had been one of the few dragons EVER to have died of old age. Ollivander said the Dragon heart string core guaranteed his wand would have strength, not power, but strength. And coupled with his strong oak shell Thomas could always count on his spells to never fail him.

Thomas loved his wand immediately. He was now a writer with a pen. A warrior with his weapon. A craftsman now equipped with a tool. He was now more excited than ever to be going to Hogwarts.

Of course, that was before he discovered who would be accompanying him to Hogwarts. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One. That's all anybody ever talked about. How he survived an attack by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named while he was just a baby, but lost his parents in the process. A remarkable story for sure, but it's not like Harry had consciously done these heroic acts. Whatever magic that was called upon that night, it was not Harry Potter that had manifested it. Thomas didn't see why the wizarding world should treat him like a hero because baby Potter got lucky.

Thomas immediately developed a deep seeded dislike towards his classmate, despite knowing very little about him. He was being regarded as royalty without doing anything to earn the title. His enmity for the novice wizard only increased when he witnessed young Potter reject Draco Malfoy's attempt at friendship on the first night at Hogwarts. How arrogant can one person be? You survive one killing spell and that gives you the right to act like you're better than others? Like they are below you? It was unacceptable and unfair. Thomas wished he could usurp Potter from his precious pedestal and bring him down to sit with the precious commoners below him.

With Harry Potter taking the spotlight Thomas' original plan of fame at Hogwarts went right down the loo. He decided to change tactics to simply staying behind the scenes and blending in with the crowd in preparation for his moment, waiting for the right time to show up and show off. It would an ashes to glory story for him. He just had to be patient.

The sorting hat was a tense time for Thomas. Both of his parents were Hufflepuff when they went to Hogwarts. Thomas knew he was better that that. That house was below him. A refuge for the outcast and kind was no place for someone as ambitious as himself. No, he was too smart and prestigious for the Badgers, and after seeing Potter sorted he was determined to avoid Lions. It looked like it was Ravens or Serpents for Thomas. They happened to be 2 houses he fit very well in. He was very smart. Ever since he was small he loved to read, both magical and muggle books. His fascination with all that was in the world and continuous quest for knowledge meant Ravenclaw would be a perfect place for him. However, he was also extremely confident in himself. Some would say arrogant, but to Thomas arrogance is just when one believes they are better than they actually are. Thomas had no delusions of grandeur. He knew he had what it took to be the best wizard and rise to any challenge that dared face him.

He ended up being one of the last to be sorted. His hands shook at the darkness that encapsulated him as the oversized, worn down hat fell over his eyes and a voice penetrated his mind.

"Such a strong boy you are. Strong and intelligent, but relentless. Merciless. I feel a great deal of potential and ambition in you. You are cunning and fierce. You seek greatness, that which you will achieve, but you care little for those around you. Your desires are selfish and directed only inward. You feel you owe no allegiance to any faction except to those that help you reach your end goal. Not a shameful thing, but also not honorable. Therefore I deem you a…"

"Slytherin!" The Hat shouted. Thomas joyously removed the hat and made his way towards the Slytherin table. He was not bothered by the hat's assessment. The thing was right. He wasn't at Hogwarts to make friends, he was hear to become a master of magic. The Slytherin house and lifestyle just happened to be able to help him achieve that, so he had no complaints or objections.

Even if he had come to make friends he was sure he wouldn't find any in his house. Unlike Thomas, the other Slytherins were not there to enhance their magical abilities, but were only motivated by increasing their power over others. They were all cruel and vile and obsessed over their rivals, the Gryffindors. Salazar Slytherin was a fantastic, amazing, and powerful wizard. But the Slytherin house depended too much on the heritage he had set down and not enough on carving their own paths of greatness. Instead of studying or making class a priority, they dawdled through the castle or joked during lessons or, worst of all, bullied other houses.

Thomas knew that when it came down to it, Slytherin would destroy the other houses in a straight up fight. The Hufflepuffs were meant to help others, a directive Thomas fully supported. The world needed those who would provide a sanctuary and a safe place of peace and you could always count on the Hufflepuffs to provide one. The Ravenclaws were thinkers and philosophers. Intelligent minds meant to help further the study of magic and enhance the wizarding way of life. Gryffindors were regarded as the "brave" ones. They were also insubordinate, dim witted, self entitled, and incredibly thick. Being brave is great but it does nobody any good if you're also stupid. As far as Thomas was concerned, the Lions were only good for crossing a frozen pond to ensure that the ice was thick enough for him. Now the Slytherins… Slytherins were masters of magic. They wielded magic like a hammer. Both a useful tool and a powerful weapon. That is the heritage of Slytherin and Thomas embraced it wholeheartedly, burying himself in his studies and becoming one of the top students in his class. _So much for being invisible,_ he mused to himself. Thankfully, nobody at Hogwarts really paid attention to the student rankings.

Although he loved the snake sewed onto his robes that labeled him as a Slytherin, there were times he grew tired of his house's bullying. Thomas could never forget the image that greeted him as he made his way to library to study in preparation for his first year Final Exams at Hogwarts. Two fourth year Slytherins were prancing around a first year Ravenclaw kicking her books around the hall and reading aloud her diary. Thomas immediately stepped behind a suit of armor and out of sight of his housemates, lest he be the target of their persecutions next. The girl struggled to move. It was as if her feet were stuck to the ground, no doubt by a hex casted by one of the Slytherins.

" _There's a boy in my Potions class!"_ One of the bullies read in a high pitch voice, mocking the young Ravenclaw. _"I don't think he knows I exist_. Aw is little birdy in love!?" The bully momentarily stopped to jeer at her. _"I almost talked to him today but Snape had come over to grade our work. He seemed really impressed with his and he left no comment on mine, which I've come to accept as a good thing. By Merlin I just wish he would look at me! Show me that he knows my name or at least I exist!"_

The Slytherins nearly doubled over laughing as the young Ravenclaw blinked back tears. "Poor, poor birdy," The other bully interjected. "Who would ever want to notice…" He stopped and eyed the pathetic and small girl standing before them, pausing his insult for dramatic effect. "This." He spat as he took the diary from his partner and tossed it at her. The bounded leather book soared through the air before hitting her square in the face. The boys laughed and turned towards the dungeons, having had enough fun and ready to retreat to the Slytherin common room, leaving the young Ravenclaw with her feet still glued to the floor.

As the girl sobbed into her hands, she didn't notice Thomas silently approach. It wasn't until she heard books and parchment being stacked at her feet that she opened her eyes, surprised she wasn't alone. When her deep blue eye's met Thomas' dark brown ones, she gasped in surprised. Thomas assumed she didn't expect a Slytherin to help her, especially after what his housemates had done to her. He shrugged it off and continued to gather her things.

"What was the Hex?" Thomas asked the girl.

"What?"

"What Hex did they cast on you?" He asked once again, this time motioning to her stuck feet.

"I- they- …" She paused. No longer crying she furrowed her brow at the Slytherin as he placed the last of her things in a neat stack at her feet. "Why are you helping me?" She demanded. "Trying to get me to tell you the spell so you can just practice the Hex for yourself and cast it on another defenseless student? I know how you Slytherins are! Just go away and let me handle this myself."

Thomas looked up to her with a scowl on his face. Here he is trying to give her assistance and she berates him? What nerve! "You know what? You're right." He stated flatly. He turned and continued on his way to the library. "I'll just leave you here. You obviously don't want my help and I'm sure my house mates have friends who would just love to read your diary. Let's see how long it is before they pass on the word that a helpless little Ravenclaw is stuck in a remote part of Hogwarts where it's highly unlikely a professor will be. So long." Thomas said, indifference layered throughout his words.

"Wait!" He heard the girl call. Thomas shouldn't have stopped, she didn't do anything to deserve his pity. He shouldn't have turned around and walked back to the girl, she could find her own way out of this. He definitely should not have looked in her deep blue eyes, he didn't need to waste his time with her. He most certainly should not have cared about her feelings, he didn't even know her. As fate would have it though, he was raised by Hufflepuffs. So naturally, he did all of these things.

"A Stickfast Hex. _Colloshoo_ was the spell." She said quietly. Suddenly keen at avoiding Thomas' eyes.

"Then that's easy. Only your shoes are stuck. You can take them off and return with a professor to cast a counter hex and get them back." Thomas stated in a matter of fact tone.

The Raveclaw dropped her gaze. "…I know…" She whispered, a blush beginning to form on her cheeks.

"Ok…" Thomas said, irritation apparent in his tone. "So why don't you do that so we can leave and I can go study?"

The girl shyly bent over to untie her shoes, taking a painfully long amount of time to do so. When they were finally untied, she slowly stepped out of the foot gear cemented into the floor and onto the cold castle tile, wearing the ugliest most horrendous pair of Winnie the Pooh socks Thomas had ever seen. Thomas stared for a few brief seconds at the socks. Then back at the girl who was trying to hide behind her jet black hair that had suddenly seemed to fall in front of her face. Then back at the socks.

Silently, Thomas quickly removed his shoes and handed them to the girl. As she timidly took them from his hands, they met eyes once again. "I probably wouldn't have wanted to take them off either." Was all Thomas said before he motioned for the Ravenclaw to put his shoes on her feet. When she was done he handed her her things. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your common room so you can change your socks and all of Hogwarts can sleep soundly tonight without the sight of them seared into their minds." He stated flatly.

They were silent for most of the way back to Ravenclaw tower. As they ascended the main stair case he heard her mumble something behind him. "What was that?" He asked over his shoulder, not slowing his pace and anxious to get his shoes back.

"I said thank you, Thomas." That had made him stop and abruptly turn to face his trailing companion.

"How do you know my name?" He demanded as he faced the girl. He had been at Hogwarts for almost a full school year now and nobody besides the professors knew his name. Not even most of the Slytherin house. He made sure of it. If some random Ravenclaw knew him, then he hadn't been doing a good job at flying under the radar.

"I- We- But-" The girl stuttered, unable to formulate a sentence and a look of hurt apparent on her face.

Quickly growing tired of this girl's bumbling, Thomas continued on.

"We sit across each other in Potions!" The girl finally remembered her words as she hurried forward. "You lent me some on your newt tails just last week! How do you sit across from someone in the same class every week for a full hour and a half but don't know their name!?" The girl demanded, catching up with Thomas.

"I guess when I'm in Potion's class, I'm there to learn Potions, not names." Thomas said nonchalantly. They had arrived at the Ravenclaw entrance. "I'd like those back now." He said, pointing to his shoes on her feet.

"Do you even try to have friends!?" The girl said as she hastily removed the shoes, disgust apparent in her voice. "I mean for Merlin's sake you Slytherins ARE all the same! I can't believe you don't at least care enough to try to get to know the names of your classmates." She spat as she shoved the shoes at Thomas.

Thomas silently put his shoes back on and tied the laces, thinking very carefully about his rebuttal. When he stood back up and was face to face with the girl, he very quietly responded, his voice just above a whisper. "And I think the fact that you care so much is a little creepy. Especially if you're writing about me in your diary."

The blush returned to the girls face, causing a smirk to carve its way onto Thomas'. He decided to drop one more bomb on the little Ravenclaw before he left. "Take care of yourself Trudy." He said over his shoulder as he walked away from the bewildered Ravenclaw, not bothering to look back to see Trudy's jaw drop in disbelief.

That was the only interaction they had for the rest of the year. Although Thomas had caught her frequently staring at him in Potions, the two had done no more conversing besides a small wave from her in the great hall at breakfast or a curt nod from him on his way to class. He did pay more attention to Trudy though. She was incredibly smart. Definitely smarter than him and probably even smarter than that Gryffindor, Hermione Granger. If she wasn't so shy she could stand out more and be recognized for the genius that she was.

But of course Potter and the pair of misfits that followed him had to take the spotlight once more. Not only had they broken multiple rules by going into parts of the castle deemed off limits to students but they had risked their lives and the school in doing so. Thomas could only imagine what the ministry would have done if they had been killed. The rumor of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returning sounded like a pile of shit. If the Daily Prophet published a story about the deaths of 3 students at Hogwarts, the place would be shut down before Thomas could say _Lumos._

Thomas could not bear the thought of Hogwarts being shut down and taken from him. But of course this was overlooked by Headmaster Dumbledore, who had been known to demonstrate as much favoritism to Gryffindor as Professor Snape showed to Slytherin. Because of Potter and Co.'s little escapade, Gryffindor managed to swipe the house cup from Slytherin. That had made Thomas just oh so happy.

As Thomas walked through Kings Cross Station to meet his parents he saw Trudy running to meet her own at the entrance. Thomas stopped walking and watched curiously at the reunion. With how gifted of a witch Trudy was, he never would have guessed her parents were muggles. Trudy's mother bent down to kiss Trudy and her father scooped her up and gave her a bear hug. After he set her down and their greetings were finished, her father grabbed her trunk and the small family headed towards the exit of the station.

As they neared the exit Trudy turned her head and saw Thomas watching her. As his dark brown eyes met her deep blue ones, Thomas couldn't help but smile at his acquaintance. Trudy smiled back and gave Thomas a quick wave before exiting the building. Thomas returned the wave as he lost sight of Trudy. "Until next year," he mumbled to himself as he picked up his trunk and walked out to meet his parents and head home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Holy shit! Another update this week? Sure, why not? Thank you to the 2 people who followed this story. Big motivation booster right there. I appreciate reviews. I'm in the military so I have moderately thick skin. I say this as Taylor Swift starts playing on my iPod. Smh. Anyway, enjoy. Love you bitches.**

Thomas' second year was more eventful than his first. With students getting petrified, half-bloods being threatened, and all the talk of this "Heir of Slytherin," his house was feared throughout Hogwarts. Personally, Thomas thought it was a despicable abuse of power. Half of Slytherin House didn't even know the history of their founder and even less understood the significance of the the Chamber of Secrets. Yet they milked the circumstance for all it was worth, continuing to bully and threaten the other houses.

Thomas paid it no mind. He had faith in the Professor's abilities to contain the situation. After all, none of the students had been killed, only petrified. While this was a serious condition, it was also extremely treatable with the right potion. And when news of the latest victim, Hermione Granger, had reached him, it had admittedly brought a smile to his face. And the fact that the joke of a groundskeeper and Hogwarts dropout Hagrid was the leading suspect and had been arrested by the Ministry just made the situation that much more delightful for Thomas.

As he sat in the library pondering these thoughts with a small grin on his face and staring absent mindly into a book he didn't notice a certain dark haired, blue eyed adolescent had joined him. It wasn't until he finished reading and was preparing to grab another that he looked up and noticed Trudy sitting across from him, nervously fidgeting. When they made eye contact she gave him a small, flat smile. Thomas didn't know Trudy very well, but he could tell something was bothering her.

"Can I help you?" He asked, unsure as to why, after almost a year of no interaction, Trudy decided to come talk to him. For almost a full minute he got no response besides her opening and closing her mouth, seemingly unsure of what to say. "Did you forget your words again, or in a weird turn of events am I actually the heir of Slytherin and you're just petrified?"

Trudy furrowed her eye brows. "You shouldn't joke about that. People are hurt. And the last time this happened a girl died. I figured with you being a Slytherin you would already know that, seeing as you all seem to be loving the massacre your pet is on."

Thomas didn't respond at first. Did she seriously just put him in the same category as the rest of his house? Again? Yes, he is a Slytherin. A proud Slytherin at that. It was his ambition and potential that earned him a spot in his house. But that was where the relation to his housemates ended. He was not a bully or power hungry, he was ambitious. The dark arts did not appeal to him like it did to others in his house. He did not hate half bloods. He was not a Dark Wizard initiate. He was a Slytherin. Too often people considered them to be one and the same and every time it happened it only angered Thomas.

"Trudy, I'm going to say this very calmly, and I will only say it once. You have successfully pissed me off. In an effort to discourage me from doing something we will both regret, I can only suggest one course of action. Leave. Now." He struggled to keep his voice flat and in control. After he issued his warning he slammed shut the book he was reading and started walking to the shelf he took it from to return it.

"I'm sorry Thomas, I-… I didn't meant it. I'm sorry. I'm just scared…" Trudy's voice dropped to a whisper, "So scared…" After clearing her throat in an effort to find her voice again she continued, "and I don't know what to do." Trudy followed Thomas to the book shelves. "It got Hermione, the smartest witch in Hogwarts and it's like the professors aren't doing anything. Harry Potter seems to be the only one taking action but he's so secretive and not moving fast enough." Thomas shoved the book back into place with more force than necessary at the mention of Potter. Trudy was too busy rambling to notice this aggressive act. "And the warnings say it's hunting those who aren't pure-bloods and that's me! What am I going to do!? I mean do you think the Heir knows I'm a mud-blood or-"

Thomas turned on Trudy, a fire smoldering in his dark eyes. "Don't you dare call yourself that foul word." His words were unsteady and only barely louder than a breath of air but they carried weight and came out rather menacingly. The intesity held in the air around him made Trudy go rigid. Thomas was raised by Hufflepuffs. Although he scoffed at a few of his parents' teachings, he whole heartily embraced the doctrine that deemed blood status irrelevant. He hated the slanderous comments that were casually tossed around the Slytherin common room. He would not tolerate an innocent girl like Trudy stooping to their level. "Your blood is not tainted. You are not inhibited by your heritage. Being Muggle born does not affect your magical capability, as Hermione Granger is all too ready to demonstrate, and you are twice the witch she is. The only difference between you and her is you are scared and she's arrogant. So piss off with the mud-blood nonsense and how about you have some confidence in the professors in doing their jobs instead of placing your faith in some rebel who wears a scar like a crown."

With that he gathered his things and left the library, too angry to look back.

That night Thomas considered leaving the Slytherin dormitories in the dungeons of Hogwarts and hunting down the Heir himself. This could be his moment. It could be a perfect opportunity to prove himself to the school and Trudy. Why he cared so much about what Trudy thought about him was beyond him, or that's what he told himself as he fell asleep.

Of course the great Harry Potter had saved the day once again. That night he found the Chamber of Secrets and by breaking the rules, assaulting a professor (a bugger awful professor but a professor none the less), and risking other's lives the heroic Harry Potter had supposedly killed the beast petrifying all the students, a Basilisk. Of course Dumbledore had pardoned the Gryffindors for their disregard for the rules. He even brushed off the fact that it was a Gryffindor acting on behalf of the true heir. Thomas found he was growing quite tired of the headmaster's blatant favoritism for the school's rebellious house.

Thomas decided to take a seat at the front of the Hogwarts Express instead of claiming a compartment on the ride home. He preferred to be left to his own company and sort through his growing tempest of thoughts. He loved being a wizard. He was a damn good one too. He looked forward to learning how to duel that year. Unfortunately Professor Lockhart was a dimwitted idiot and the whole "Heir of Slytherin" bull shit prevented any extracurricular activities to take place. Thomas was growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of opportunity to show what he had to offer and prove he could contribute a substantial amount to the world.

He wondered if it was Hogwarts that was the problem. You didn't hear about loose Basilisks or possessed Professors at the other wizarding schools. Maybe Thomas could try his luck at another school. Unfortunately the closest school other than Hogwarts was Beauxbatons Academy in France, and Thomas couldn't speak a lick of French. He doubted his ability to learn an entire language in one summer. _Well, shit_. Thomas thought to himself. In all honesty he wasn't too upset with his fate at staying at Hogwarts. Hogwarts could give him something the other schools couldn't. His title as a Slytherin.

As they pulled into Kings Cross station Thomas caught sight of Trudy. When they made eye contact Trudy began politely excusing herself through the crowd in an effort to get to Thomas. Having not forgiven her for her comments earlier that year and unwilling to start a conversation with anybody Thomas grabbed his trunk and quickly disembarked. He made his way to the exit of the station, ignoring Trudy's calls as she searched for him in all the wrong places.


	4. Chapter 4

**So I decided I'm going all out for back story in this. Hence the longer chapter and, unfortunately, longer time in between updates. Sorry friends.**

 **This is a little more fluffier than what I had in mind. But hey, whatever it takes to make you guys get some kind of emotional attachment to these characters.**

 **Special thanks to my 4(!) followers and 2 readers that favorited this story! Seriously, hope you guys are enjoying it. Don't be afraid to review, it helps me out a lot.**

Thankfully, Thomas' third year looked to go by uneventfully. No petrified students or possessed professors running around Hogwarts. The biggest development was Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, and as far as Thomas knew, he had no reason to fear the convict. That was Potter's problem, not his. He found it increasingly difficult to look forward to returning to Hogwarts. Despite the expectation of a quiet year, finally, Thomas dreaded returning to the school that was a monastery dedicated to worshiping the great Harry Potter. He didn't want to have to put up with his housemates in Slytherin and their consistent bitching. Most of all, he didn't want to see and face Trudy. They had departed on sour terms last year and he knew she would try to fix it. Thomas didn't want anything fixed. He was ok with being miserable. At this point in time all he just wanted was to get through another year without Potter being celebrated as a hero.

Thomas' wish seemed to come true when he found out through the grapevine that Potter had used magic on his aunt. Blew her up like a balloon is what the rumors at the Ministry said. Thomas chuckled at the thought of an overweight woman floating through the streets of London and found humor at Potter's expense. Of course fucking Cornelius Fudge let Potter off the hook, no doubt so he could try to contain the situation with Black. Couldn't let the wizarding population start worrying for their lives now.

Fudge was another source of frustration for Thomas. How could the Ministry allow such a weak willed pussy be accountable and expected to lead? He often questioned the wisdom of whoever it was that designated the leaders and heads of the various magical establishments. Dumbledore was Headmaster of Hogwarts, Fudge was Head Minister, and whoever the warden was of Azkaban had to be dealt with, letting a mass murderer like Black escape. It seemed to be a reoccurring theme for those with responsibility to be irresponsible. Unfortunately, Thomas had no say in the matter. _Yet_.

Thomas spiritlessly stepped off the Hogwarts express. So far he had successfully avoided Trudy. Good riddance. At the feast he sat alone, like he did previous years past, staring at his food. He didn't want to fucking be here. School had lost it's charm for him and he no longer found joy in class. He loved learning something new but what good was this information if he was never given the opportunity to use it... like Potter had the previous 2 years. For the nth time Thomas considered running away and disappearing. It was foolish to think a 13 year old could survive on his own, Thomas knew, but that didn't stop him from considering it. He had fallen into a depression these last couple months and he desperately needed a morale boost.

Thomas found it as he nearly doubled over laughing at the feast when it was announced that Hagrid was now a professor. He actually looked forward to his first class with the oaf. He expected it was going to be quite entertaining. And of course there was going to be a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Thomas was optimistic with this new teacher, Professor Remus Lupin. He looked interesting to say the least. Of course, anybody would be a better teacher than professor Lockhart.

His first class of Care of Magical Creatures actually went rather well. Hyppogriffs! How Hagrid (Thomas, along with all of Slytherin house, refused to call him professor) had procured such amazing creatures was beyond Thomas, but he was thankful for it. To be able to ride a Hyppogriff was a huge honor due to their proud and sometimes violent nature. When Hagrid asked for volunteers to approach the beasts, Thomas inconspicuously fell to the back of the class. Thankfully, the Slytherins were paired with Gryffindors for this class. He would let one of "brave" students go first. "Cross the frozen pond and ensure the ice was thick enough" kind of thing.

Of course Potter was the fateful volunteer. _Good on him_ , Thomas thought. He must really have some balls to approach a Hyppogriff. Fortunately for scar-face, Buckbeak had cooperated and even granted him the pleasure sit on his back for a flight. To see the beast give Potter a ride had been quite a sight. Calling them beasts no longer seemed appropriate. They were too majestic for that title.

But leave it to a someone like Malfoy to ruin something great. Of course he couldn't contain his jealousy and bury his rivalry with Potter for one class. He had to insult Buckbeak and get caught in his claws, squealing in pain as Hagrid took him to Madam Pomfrey. _What a pussy_. With his opportunity to ride a Hyppogriff gone Thomas only had Defense Against the Dark Arts to now look forward to and give him his desperately needed pick-me-up.

He actually quite enjoyed professor Lupin's lessons. He seemed very intent on expanding his student's knowledge about the Dark Arts and the dangers that it was accompanied with. Until he saw, once again, Harry Potter become the favored student. When he saw Potter given the opportunity to have private lessons with Professor Lupin it had demotivated and discouraged Thomas beyond belief. Why was Potter given every opportunity to succeed and learn? It was fucking unfair. He faints in the presence of one dementor and that's enough to have one on one time with a professor? At this point he had given up at showing up Potter. He was an idol for the Magical world to worship and shine their lights on. Thomas would just have to be content with living in his shadow.

As if Thomas wasn't depressed enough, the presence of the Dementors only made everything worse. Even though they weren't allowed on school grounds it was a dreary sight to look out a castle window and see their dark silhouette in the distance. Thomas heard terrible stories about what these sentries of Azkaban were capable of and he wasn't too eager to test how much truths lived in those tales.

Of course, the greatest thing about being a third year were the Hogsmeade trips. It was good to get away from the castle for a while and forget about the bullshit going on. On one of the Hogsmeade trips Thomas was sitting alone sipping butterbeer when Trudy had attempted to make peace with him and took it upon herself to keep him company.

"May I sit?" Her soft voice cut through the commotion surrounding them in the pub. Thomas looked up from his drink and gave her a flat smile. He kicked out the chair across from him as a confirmation for his permission.

"Time for our yearly talk now is it?" Thomas asked as Trudy sat down. He had to admit, she was looking rather cute. Her hair fell loosely around her face framing it nicely while the rest cascaded down her back. Her deep blue eyes were complimented by the Ravenclaw patch on her robes. Her skin was flawless despite the absence of any make up and her lips remained full and smooth despite the cruel winter weather that had caused everyone else's to become chapped.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." She said innocently, brushing back the stray strands of hair behind her ear, "You seem... different this year. Like you've always been reserved and kept to yourself, but this year you seem... upset, angry. Even sad. I never see you with anyone. No acquaintances, friends… girlfriend… Do you ever get lonely?"

Thomas gave a short laugh under his breath. So she picked up on his depression did she? _How much has she been watching me?_ Thomas immediately tossed the thought from his mind. _Yeah, don't go there._ "I'm a Slytherin who was raised by Hufflepuffs that cares about his grades. That's pretty contradictory if I do say so myself. So no I don't hang out with a lot of my housemates. Which leads me to my next point. Who loves a Slytherin, besides other Slytherins?" He asked with a satirical smile, "Not a lot of people. So no, I don't 'hang out' with anyone from the other houses. Which I'm ok with." Thomas quickly added when he noticed the look of pity he got from Trudy. "I didn't come to Hogwarts to make friends."

"Why did you come to Hogwarts?" Trudy asked, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice at Thomas' last comment.

"To become the greatest Auror this world has ever seen." Thomas said dramatically with a chuckle. "To make a name for myself so they would hang banners of me throughout the school." He chuckled once more before taking another sip of his drink. After swallowing and wiping his mouth he lowered his voice and continued, "Kinda hard to do when a boy with a lightning scar is taking the spotlight."

"Well aren't you number three in the class ranks? You can still make a name for yourself right?" Trudy said desperately trying to brighten the conversation and Thomas' outlook of his predicament.

"I could… Yeah." Thomas mused. "Except I would have to out do Hermione Granger and a certain dark hair, blue eyed Ravenclaw to make it to number one." He looked at Trudy with his grin back on his face. "And I know for a fact I'm not smarter than a Ravenclaw."

"Well I'm sure you'll figure something out." Trudy replied, her deep blue eyes never leaving his. They stayed like that for a minute before, much to Trudy's dismay, Thomas broke the eye contact and dropped his dark brown pools to stare at the table.

"Yeah. Whatever." Thomas said, his voice callous and void of emotion as he slowly rose from his seat. "Just know one thing Trudy," he said as his voice dropped in tone. Thomas looked up and met her eyes again. "If I find out I passed you in the Rankings, and think for one second that you let me, I'll let it slip to everyone at Hogwarts about your Winnie the Pooh socks. See how well that'll go over. I'm sure the Slytherins will have a blast with it."

Thomas threw the rest of his drink back and slammed it on the table. Giving Trudy a smile and wink before he turned around and exited the pub.

Thomas began his walk back to the castle and as he made his way he heard rapid steps crunching in the snow, quickly catching up to him. Thomas had one guess on who's they might be. They slowed and matched his pace once caught up and when he looked over he was actually quite pleased to see Trudy give him a flat smile before turning her head forward and wordlessly continuing their trek.

At this point Thomas accepted his feelings for Trudy. He was 13, that's old enough to have a crush. And what was there not to like about her? She was very cute, one of the prettiest girls in school. Thomas thanked the fates she was too shy to be noticed by the other big shots of the school. It sounded selfish, but he was really glad she didn't realize how many options she could have were she to come out of her shell a bit. What he didn't realize was Trudy thought the exact same thing about him.

Besides her looks, she was very kind. Despite the bit of bad blood between them, she continued to come back to Thomas and attempt a friendship. That's something he didn't deserve. He was a little bit of a dick, he knew this. He shouldn't be pushing Trudy away like he did last year, all because she put her faith in another boy. She was just scared. And despite the way he treated her, here she was. Walking next to him to keep him company. He didn't want to break the comfortable silence between them but he made a mental note to apologize to her for how he acted. For now, he'd just keep walking to the castle.

Her presence was welcome but quickly became a little aggravating. Thomas was very away of Trudy's bare hands swinging at her sides. How could he not be when they kept brushing his own every 5 seconds? It was below freezing with snow falling in large flakes to the ground. A biting yet gentle wind carried the large flakes through the air into their faces. And there was Trudy, bundled up for the weather with the exception of gloves. Her hands had to be freezing.

Of course, she still had pockets. So why would Trudy be walking so close to Thomas with her bare hands exposed to the unrelenting chill and continuously making contact with his own as if she was trying to tell him something but won't say it out loud all the while staring straight ahead, face flushed, too scared to look at him and...

 _...Oh_

Having now caught on to her hidden signals with a small idea of what Trudy wanted, Thomas silently contemplated his next move. It was obvious Trudy liked him, he wasn't that oblivious like the other boys his age. But he had never had to worry about girls before. The subject was foreign to him. Thankfully, in this time of struggle he only had to ask himself one question. _What would dad do?_

Growing up Thomas witnessed his father continuously woo his mother. He would always play this game with her where he would approach her like a stranger and this was their first time meeting. Or somehow find a way for every small chore or action to be turned into a come on. While a lot of times it came off as cheesy or embarrassing for his father, sometimes he'd pull it off and make his mother swoon. Thomas recalled these moments in an effort to woo his crush walking beside him.

A small plan of action formed in his mind. It was cheesy, but it would do. And something told him Trudy would eat it up. She seemed like the hopeless romantic type.

Thomas removed his gloves and offered them to Trudy. "Here, your hands must be cold."

Trudy stopped walking and looked at them for a full minute, her jaw locked and disappointment evident on her face. _Shit_. "Thanks." She said coldly as she refused to look at Thomas and slipped on the thin pieces of fabric before continuing to walk at a brisker pace than before, leaving Thomas behind. _Shit_.

"Hey, hold on a sec," Thomas called as he lightly jogged to catch up. Trudy didn't slow down and kept her eyes forward. _Shit!_ Thomas had to save this. "Now my hands are cold." Thomas explained when he had joined back up with Trudy.

"So take them back," she said callously as she reached to take the gloves off.

Thomas grabbed her wrist to stop her. Trudy stopped walking and looked at him with a stern expression, her eyebrows knitted into a scowl. "Or," he said as his fingers slid from her wrist and interlaced with hers. "You could keep them warm for me?" He said, a cocky smile gracing his lips. Trudy fought an obvious battle of trying not to smile. A battle she shamelessly lost as she reached across with her other hand and held Thomas' between both of her own as they continued their way home. _Saved it._

They slowed their pace and took their time going back to the castle, neither of their smiles faltering. They didn't say anything else the whole way. They didn't really feel the need for words.

When they arrived back in the castle before going separate ways to their respective common rooms, Trudy removed Thomas' gloves and offered them to him.

"Sure you don't want to keep them?" Thomas offered as he took them back.

"No it's ok." Trudy said as she reached in her coat pocket and pulled out a pair of thick, very warm looking, wool mittens. "I have my own." She giggled. With a huge smile and a wink she said goodnight to Thomas and ascended the stair case.

Thomas watched her go, a smile plastered to his face the whole time.

* * *

Their smiles persisted throughout the year. They didn't have any classes together and with the threat of Sirius Black prevalent they never got a lot of opportunity to hang out some more at Hogsmead. One night, as the end of the school year neared, Thomas was alone once again in the library. He was studying his DADA book, a troubled scowl plaguing his face. A soft voice cut through his thoughts and broke his concentration.

"I feel like if I ever need to find you, my best bet will be in here."

Thomas smiled at his book before lifting his eyes to Trudy who was smiling back.

"No talking in the Library Ms. Thorne." Thomas playfully chastised.

"Oh my apologies Mr. Wombleton." Trudy whispered back as she walked around the table to have a seat next to him, her smile never leaving until she saw what page his book was open to. "I don't think that's on our final exam..."

"No, I know. I was... I just..." How can Thomas explain this without sounding totally, bat-shit crazy. "Have you noticed a pattern in Professor Lupin's absences this year?"

"Um... Not really. But I wasn't asking about Lupin, unless you think somehow Lupin and werewolves are a related topic."

"Well..." Thomas began thoughtfully.

"Oh come on Thomas, seriously? The guy is just a little off. He's not a monster!"

"I'm not saying he's a monster, Trudy." Thomas defended, "And shhhhh! We're not the only ones in here."

"Oh good! Maybe we can ask the other students what they think about Lupin being a werewolf. We'll have a school wide survey!" Trudy went off on Thomas, but at least she dropped her voice to a whisper like he asked.

"Will you shut up and listen to me!?" Thomas cut in growing a little frustrated at Trudy's unwillingness to hear him out. When he saw the look of hurt in Trudy's eyes he immediately corrected himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be mean like that. Just listen. I'm sure he's a great guy and I can't argue with how brilliant of a professor he is. He fought Deatheaters for fuck's sake. But just hear my argument. He never shows up the day after a full moon. I mean after that happening once, maybe twice it's whatever. But every month? Come on." Thomas argued. He found a small amount of relief to see Trudy's expression soften and begin to intently study the book. Thomas continued.

"Snape assigned all the Gryffindors an essay on werewolves earlier this year. Now, if Lupin was a werewolf, it would be hard to keep that quiet. Somebody would have to know besides Dumbledore if they wanted to cover for him. So let's say Lupin's secret is known but it is also known by somebody who really doesn't like him? And let's say that secret keeper wanted to very inconspicuously let the secret slip?"

"You think Snape assigned the essay in hopes somebody would figure it out?" Trudy summed up for him.

"Exactly. And if that wasn't enough evidence I'll throw one more bit in. When Lupin faced the Bogart at the beginning of the year, people say it transformed into a ball of light. What if that was really the moon? And who would be afraid of something as harmless of the moon anyway? Unless, to them the moon isn't harmless and it causes them to rip their skin off and transform into a terrible and feared animal. Hence Lupin's weird fear of the little light in the night sky." Thomas finished his rambling, only slightly out of breath.

Trudy put the book down staring thoughtfully at the pages. "Well… It makes sense. You gonna ask him about it?"

Thomas nearly barked out a laughter that would surely have drawn attention to the two. "And how do you recommend I go about that!? 'Yo Remus! You a furry?' Yeah, no thank you. This is just a theory I worked out. I honestly don't care if he's a werewolf. He hasn't attacked any of the students and he's a brilliant professor. What he does once a month is none of my business."

"Wow…" Trudy said thoughtfully looking Thomas over. "Keeping your nose out of other peoples' business. How very un-Slytherin of you." She said with a smile taking up her face.

"Hey now," Thomas defended as he began packing up his stuff. "We Slytherins are known to be cunning and fierce. That's the house description. Malfoy and his thugs are the ones with no sense of boundaries."

"Mhmm." Trudy mused. Thomas finished packing his books and looked up to meet Trudy's gaze. Once again their eyes met. Deep blue meeting dark brown. It frightened Thomas to realize how intense the raven haired girl's gaze could be. As he maintained the eye contact his breathing increased along with his heart rate and the edges of his vision became unfocused. _Fucking shit I'm such a little bitch._

"So… I owe you an apology…"

"Oh?" Trudy questioned. Confusion etching its way onto her face.

Thomas looked away and nodded. "Yeah, for last year. You were just scared and you needed somebody to talk to. I let my anger get the best of me and left you when all you needed was a friend. I'm sorry." Thomas chanced another glance back his crush as his voice dropped to a whisper. "You deserve to be treated better than that."

Trudy didn't react at first. Her face stayed neutral as she examined Thomas' sincerity. After a minute of silence a small smile made its way to her face. "Apology accepted." She said simply, and it was never brought up again.

They spent the rest of the night up until curfew talking. While most of their conversation stayed on school, they did open up a little to each other and talked briefly about their parents. Thomas felt comfortable with Trudy. He was so thankful he was able to find someone to make the year a little more enjoyable. Dare he say, he might have found a friend.

The rest of the year went by without a hitch. The whole Sirius Black incident blew over nicely. Thomas admittedly thought about assisting Sirius in getting into Hogwarts, just to get rid of Potter. But of course he could never do that. Harry was a classmate and while he hated him, Thomas could never imagine causing anybody at Hogwarts harm. Ultimately he was quite relieved to discover Black had been apprehended by Professor Snape. Maybe now the dementors could clear out of Hogwarts.

But low and behold Sirius Black had escaped again, only proving Professor Dumbledore's ineptitude at running Hogwarts. Dumbledore was a brilliant wizard and Thomas respected him greatly, but in his not so humble opinion, Albus Dumbledore was never meant to be Professor Dumbledore. While he felt he could learn a lot from the great wizard, he was quite unsure the wizard was capable of managing a school like Hogwarts. Or maybe he was unable to manage a school housing Harry Potter. Either way, Thomas would gladly vote Dumbledore out as headmaster.

That wasn't the craziest development though. The news that Lupin was in fact a werewolf took Hogwarts by storm. Thomas had presented this info to Trudy with an arrogant "I told you so" to accompany it. To which Trudy only rolled her eyes. Thomas' was brought down from his high back to earth when he realized Lupin would have to leave Hogwarts. Apparently the rest of the student body and their parents didn't feel the same as Thomas when it came to monsters. _Well fuck._

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station Thomas was surprised to realize he didn't want to go. He didn't understand why until Trudy playfully nudged him off of the train. They had sat together on the way home and talked the entire way back. Now they stood with their luggage about to unwillingly depart their separate ways for the summer.

"So…" Thomas began awkwardly.

"So." She responded with a smile.

He was unsure of what to do or say. She wasn't his girlfriend, he wasn't even sure if she considered him as a friend. So how do acquaintances bid each other farewell. _Definitely not by saying fucking 'so.'_

"Stay in touch, yeah?" Thomas offered. It seemed like the right thing to say.

"I'll have to get an owl…" Trudy mused, "Or you get email."

"I'll look into it, whatever that is. Whichever happens first then?"

"Sounds good." Trudy finished before wrapping Thomas in a hug. "Take care Thomas. I'll see you in a few months."

Thomas watched Trudy ascend the stairs to the station. When she was out of sight he smiled to himself. He had found his reason to return to Hogwarts.

 **Side note. I put that whole 'Theory about Lupin being a werewolf' in there for 2 reasons. To establish Thomas is just as good, if not better than Hermione, and to help build Tsquared's (what I'll call Thomas and Trudy's) relationship. Not a big head canon or anything.**

 **Thanks again for reading. See you bitches soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So we're gonna take a little detour here to get to know our stars a little better. Should only take a chapter or two before we're back on track. I'm just really falling in love with these characters and I hope you will too. Remember to leave a review to let me know what you think, how I could do better, and what I'm doing right with this story. Seriously, the little feedback I got on this story is a huge motivation booster.**

 **Side Note: I am not British but I try to keep it all authentic for y'all. What Harry Potter would call football, I call soccer, or fake-football. I spell it mom, not mum. They aren't notes, they're bills. We drink coffee and toss the tea in the harbor. Never the less I have put forth an effort to to channel my pre-revolutionary war heritage and through intense Doctor Who marathoning I attempt to use the appropriate vernacular for this story. I apologize if I come up short on some areas.**

 **Anyway, hope you wonderful readers enjoy.**

* * *

Halfway through the summer before his 4th year at Hogwarts a jittery owl flew through Thomas' window during breakfast, dropping an envelope by his plate before flying off deeper into his house. This had surprised him at first until he saw the writing on the envelope. There was only one person he knew that would send him a letter with a heart at the end of his name. Fuck there was only one person he knew that would send him a letter period. Trudy. At the sight of her neat handwriting Thomas' stomach twisted and fluttered. He internally rolled his eyes at himself. Apparently he was a teenage girl overcome with a crush.

He opened the envelope to read the letter inside and chortled at the sight of the scribbled mess at the top of the page. Apparently Trudy was unsure how to start off her letter. Despite the intense effort to scribble out her initial attempts at a greeting, Thomas was still able to make out a few words.

 ** _Dear Thomas..._**

 ** _Hello Thomas..._**

 ** _What's up Tom!?_**

 ** _Yo!_**

Finally Trudy seemed to digress to her initial greeting, no discredit to her creativity with the others.

 ** _Dear Thomas,_**

 ** _First, let me apologize about the mess at the top of this page. I'm not really sure where we stand with each other so I'm not too confident with the correct way to greet you. I mean, I know you're not looking for friends but... I don't know. I'd say we aren't far off from that.(?)_**

 ** _Anyway. Just writing you too see how you're doing. And to test out my new owl. His name is Archimedes. Or just Archie for short. I hope he behaves. He sure does love people... Sometimes a little too much._**

Right on queue Archie flew back into the kitchen and onto Thomas' shoulder, nuzzling his head into the crook of Thomas' neck. Archie's feathers tickled Thomas and drew out a small laugh. He took a small piece of bacon and fed it to the owl, petting the feathers on his head as the small fowl gulped it down. Once finished, Archie resumed his position perched on Thomas' shoulder cuddled into the hollow spot under his jaw. Thomas chuckled under his breath at the affectionate bird and continued reading.

 ** _I can't wait to get back to school. With every passing year I miss it more and more. The musky scent of the castle, Hogsmeade visits, seeing you, doing homework by the lake, quidditch matches, and even potions class. One of these days I swear I will get Snape to compliment my work! Maybe if I use a love potion on Harry Potter so he falls in love with Mrs. Norris... Just kidding of course._**

Thomas smirked at the thought. He didn't know what was funnier, Potter in love with a cat or the idea of Trudy working up the courage to follow through on such an act.

 ** _I'm hoping for a quiet year. No possessed professors, escaped Basilisk, or Azkaban escapees. I could use a break from the excitement and just focus on school. I mean, after this year we need to start thinking about our O.W.L.s! I'd say that's a bit scarier than dementors prowling outside the castle._**

 ** _I hope Archie gets to you in a timely manner and I anxiously await your response._**

Once again there was a scribbled mess at the end of the letter suggesting that Trudy had just as much difficulty with the close of her letter as she did with the opening.

 ** _Sincerely..._**

 ** _Your friend..._**

 ** _Love..._**

 ** _From,_**

 ** _Trudy Thorne._**

Thomas repeatedly turned the letter over in his hands, smile still present on his face. Trudy was... Something else. This introvert had ignored the barriers and social hierarchy set in place, come out of her shell, and gone out of her way to become friends with Thomas. She actually made an effort to become friends with him. Nobody had ever done that before.

But why? He had done nothing for her besides push her away. He didn't deserve a friend like that. She deserved much better company to befriend her. Not a cynical, rude, and apathetic Slytherin who would choose himself over her every time. With O.W.L.s coming up Thomas often contemplated the road his life could follow and possibilities that could present themselves. If he and Trudy did become an item, that would be awesome. Seriously, he'd love that. And if they became Hogwarts sweethearts and continue their relationship past graduation, even better. But what if he was given the chance to become an Auror?

It was his lifelong dream. Unfortunately, it was also a profession that required a lot of travel and time away. Not healthy for any relationship. Plus there was always the tiny ever present occupational hazard of DEATH, but whatever. The point is he doubted Trudy would be ok with all that. "Bitches love the idea of bravery but hate the possibility of losing a boyfriend. A woman may think adventure sounds great and may get turned on by the idea of it, but she really just wants stability in her life with her paramour, and the life of an Auror is anything but." That was what an Auror had told Thomas one day while he was helping out at the Ministry offices. Many Aurors had been through multiple marriages. Whether they were due to infidelity on either side or inability to cope with the distance and time away, lasting relationships just weren't a commodity for the Aurors. "Just the way it works out kid. As if you didn't have enough going against ya, you also gotta realize loyalty just isn't that common anymore. Just don't be like me and find it out the hard way by walking in on your fiancé bent over the couch getting rammed by some muggle."

 _Thankfully_ , Thomas thought to himself, _Trudy is extraordinarily uncommon. Things could work out if we would both be willing to work for it._

Thomas had to remind himself he had only just turned 14 and he was getting a little ahead of himself with these thoughts about the rest of his life. He and Trudy weren't even an item yet. Hell, according to the letter he held in his hands, she didn't even think he saw her as a friend. Maybe he should just take this one step at a time, keep pursuing his goals, and see where this, whatever 'this' was, goes from here.

Thomas was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of his mother coming into the kitchen. "Whatcha got there Thomas?" she asked motioning towards the letter in his hands.

"A friend from school wrote me a letter."

"But you don't have friends at school." She replied nonchalantly as she waved her wand to begin cleaning the kitchen.

"Um... Thanks?" Thomas said drenching his words in offense.

"Hey don't get upset with me. Your words, not mine, remember?" Thomas had admittedly told his family he didn't have any friends when they asked if he wanted to go visit anybody over the summer. Point given to mum on that one.

"Well, I suppose I lied. She just got herself an owl and wanted to test him out." Without warning Archie flew from his perch tucked beneath Thomas' chin and flapped his way onto his mum's head. The owl leaned forward to look curiously at the woman beneath him, tilting his head to the side, perplexed at this new human. "His name is Archimedes," he finished with a grin as Archie recovered his balance and made his new perch in her hair.

"Well, I'm actually glad you lied to me." His mum said, going about her business as if an owl hadn't just made himself comfortable in her hair. "And um..." She stopped and looked directly at Thomas, "She?" she questioned with a smirk.

"Oh, uh, yeah. She. Her name is Trudy. Trudy Thorne. She's a Ravenclaw. I met her my first year but we didn't really become friends until last year. She's actually number two in the rankings so she's really smart. She's just shy and-"

"Who's shy?" Thomas was cut off by his father as he entered into the kitchen en route to give his wife a good morning kiss. He abruptly stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Archie on his wife's head. "Her?" He asked pointing to Archie.

"HE is Archimedes." Thomas' mother clarified pointing to Archie. "And he belongs to Thomas' friend from school."

"Thomas doesn't have friends at school." His father deadpanned.

"Seriously!?" Thomas demanded.

"Your words not-"

"Mine. Yeah, got it." Thomas grumbled.

"So who's shy?" His father asked once again.

"Trudy." His mother answered.

"Who's Trudy?"

"His friend."

"Who's friend?"

"Thomas'"

"I thought he's Archimedes."

"That's her owl."

"Who's owl?"

"Trudy's."

"And who is Trudy again?"

"OH MY GOD!" Thomas whined as he smashed his forehead into the table. Archie voiced his disapproval of the outbreak with a "hoot." He could hear giggling coming from his parents. When he looked up both his parents were looking towards him, his mother trying in vain to cover her smile with her hand, his father... Not so much.

They totally did that all on purpose.

"So... A friend..." His father mused once they have recovered from their incessant giggling, encouraging Thomas to explain how this miracle had come about.

"Yeah. She's... She's really nice." Thomas said as he absently stared off into space and traced his finger across the table.

"Pretty?" His mother asked?

"Beautiful." He replied without hesitation.

"Mmm..." His mother mused.

"Well, tell us about her." his father cheerfully requested as both his parents pulled up chairs and sat across the table from him, both wearing kind smiles and eagerness enlightening their eyes. Thomas took a full minute to replay in his mind his story with Trudy before looking up to meet their eyes. With a small grin of his own he told them everything that had happened since the beginning. He told them about the Slytherin bullies, Trudy's socks, potions class, how she approached him in the library and how he blew her off. He told them about Hogsmeade and how he smoothly worked his magic to hold her hand. That had earned a high five from his dad and a regretful "Oh my" and face palm from his mom. He told them how they promised to keep in touch over the summer, holding up the letter to bring them back to the present.

When he was done telling his history about him and his crush, Thomas met his parents gazes awaiting their reaction. His mother was the first to speak.

"Aw, our little Slytherin is still a softy." She antagonized.

"Yeah, what a pussy." His dad joked, earning a slap on the arm from his wife and a light chuckle from Thomas. "Well, sounds to me you should be working on reply and setting up a date."

"Oh, and I want to meet her." Said his mum as she and her husband left the table, Archie gave a hoot of agreement from his bed of hair.

It was times like these that reminded Thomas how much he loved his parents. He fought with them more often than not, especially after they found out he was a Slytherin and voiced their disapproval of his house. But their hearts were always in the right place. He never questioned their love and counted himself fortunate to have Jake and Tess Wombleton as his parents.

Thomas retrieved a quill, ink, and a roll of parchment to respond to Trudy.

* * *

 ** _Dear Trudy,_**

 ** _(See how easy that was?)_**

Trudy sat on her bed and giggled to herself as the read the first few words of Thomas' reply. She was hoping her mess of a scribbled greeting in her letter would be brushed aside and ignored. But of course Thomas would get in a few good natured jabs at her expense.

 ** _Your letter was a nice surprise this morning. Good 'ol Archie is already making himself at home. In my mother's hair mind you, but she doesn't seem to mind... Or notice... I don't know._**

"Oh no..." Trudy groaned to herself as she looked over at Archie who was staring innocently at Trudy like he had done nothing wrong. "Behave!" She yelled at the owl, who answered simply with a hoot.

"Yeah, whatever that means..." She grumbled to herself as she continued reading.

 _ **What didn't go unnoticed was the fact I had actually gotten mail. The arrival of your letter set forth a series of events that lead to questions being asked and answered. Long story short, my parents know all about Ms. Trudy Thorne, the Ravenclaw who is just ahead of me in the class ranks.**_

Trudy's heart swelled. Thomas told his parents about her. A million thoughts flew through her mind. Thoughts like how much he told them, if he said he liked her, did the letter make her seem creepy? "Oh god! What if he told them about what I wrote in my diary!?," she thought out loud. Trudy thought that would be the worst thing to happen until she read the next line.

 ** _They want to meet you._**

"Shit..." She whispered. She never swore. Her parents were adamantly against that kind of language. But she figured a situation like this called for it. She was never good around people, she would be terrible around the parents of her crush! Thomas must have realized the effect that little bit of knowledge would have on her because his next line quickly addressed her worries.

 _ **Don't worry. There's no rush to it for them. They even promised to not come in to King's Cross this year to give you space if that is what you desire. I may or may not have told them you're a bit of an introvert.**_

 _ **Sorry...**_

Trudy giggled at Thomas' empty apology. No he wasn't.

 _ **...No I'm not.**_

Trudy chortled to herself once more. She couldn't argue against the introvert accusation, and the fact Thomas cared enough to explain it to his parents caused a warmth to spread through her chest. It still surprised her a Slytherin could be so considerate. Then again, compared to other Slytherins, there wasn't much competition there.

 _ **Anyway, my summer is going by quite slowly. I agree with you. I'm eager for a new year to start. I'm curious to see who they will have as our DADA professor, how Potter will get away with breaking the rules again, and I am most eager to find a way to get you to hold my hand again... *wink***_

A blush began to work its way across Trudy's face. Thomas would always furtively drop these forward and suggestive comments like it was no big deal, all to get a reaction from Trudy. Truth be told, she loved it. His expressive personality made up for her shyness. Everything about Thomas complimented her in a way that made up for all she wasn't. In short, he completed her.

 _ **I've been helping my dad at the ministry. Usually the boring stuff. Sorting papers and the such. I have been able to hang around the Auror office a bit. That's been awesome. Haven't gotten to actually get to know any of them, but still. I'll take what I can get.**_

 _ **It's been great hearing from you and I look forward to seeing Archie come through my window with your reply, right before he makes a nest in my mum's hair again. And I suppose it's only right for me to introduce my pet to you this year. His name is Wallie. He's a smelly rat and gets in all my stuff, but I love him anyway I suppose. You could say he's like family. I'm sure he will love Archie.**_

 _ **Sincerely,**_

 _ **Your friend,**_

 _ **Thomas.**_

 _ **P.S. What are you doing the week before school? I have 2 tickets to this quidditch World Cup, I figured you may want to go? I mean, it's kinda a big deal. Talk to your parents and let me know.**_

 _ **P.S.S. Yo? Really?**_

Trudy couldn't laugh at the last line of the letter. She was too busy trying to absorb the previous few. Thomas wanted to take her to the Quidditch World Cup! The idea had always interested her but she didn't want to go alone and she didn't have many friends to accompany her to such an event. She couldn't believe Thomas had to ask. He could have shown up the day of brandishing the tickets and she would have joined him without hesitation.

But, of course she would have to ask her parents. Trudy bit her lip as she thought about how her parents would react to her requesting to go to such a large event alone with a boy she was crushing on. They would no doubt have some reservations. But they knew Thomas was her only friend at Hogwarts and that had to be worth something. They were always encouraging her to be more sociable and get out to make memories. Especially with this gift of magic that so few in the world possess.

Her parents were skeptical to say the least when her Hogwarts letter came in the mail. They had thought at first that it was a practical joke by some reality TV series and had tossed the letter away. Then an old man in deep blue robes showed up at their doorstep holding several small boxes in his arms, requesting to discuss Hogwarts with the small family. When he was permitted to come into the house and sit in the family room the man introduced himself as Garrick Ollivander. He claimed to be a wand maker.

Mr. Ollivander sat with Trudy and her family explaining the existence of magic and magical folk. He told them that Trudy had been detected at a young age and put under surveillance by the Ministry of Magic in order to closely monitor the development of her magical capabilities. At first her parents scoffed at this until Mr. Ollivander asked if Trudy had a history of being present when strange things happened. Strange occurrences that they couldn't rationally describe. Her parents fell deathly quiet at this before her father began telling Mr. Ollivander about his daughter's admittedly unusual childhood.

When she was 4 there was an abnormally dry summer in London and the garden the Thornes usually kept had yielded little success. But one day Trudy was playing in the dirt and all around her small Tulips started sprouting from the ground. To say this had scared her parents would be an understatement. They watched the flowers grow from the ground and bloom. It wasn't even the season for tulips. Yet here they were, her mother's favorite flower, blooming from the parched dirt around her daughter.

When she was 7 Trudy had to walk home from school due to the family car being broken down. At about midday a huge thunderstorm rolled into London and there were scattered reports of flooding in the area. Unfortunately, Trudy had forgotten her jacket and rain boots at home that morning and had to walk home in her school uniform. Her father had paced back and forth incessantly until his daughter came through the front door. Imagine his surprise when she walked in the house dry as a bone with a smile so bright it almost seemed like it wasn't raining outside and the storm clouds had never existed. It was as if she defied everything negative about that day.

And just the year prior during Christmas time, when she was 9, Trudy and her mother were in London shopping for presents. They were waiting to cross the street when they witnessed what should have been a bloody and terrible disaster. A car had pulled over to the curb. A husband and wife with their newborn baby in the back. The husband was letting his wife take their baby out of the car while he would go search for a place to park. Just as the wife opened the back door to unbuckle the car seat, a double decker bus rear ended the car, propelling it 30 feet further down the street before they both came to a screeching halt right in front of Trudy.

Her mom said all she heard was her daughter say, "Please be okay," over and over as she clutched her mothers arms and sobbed into her sleeve. Her mom watched in awe as all the passengers of the bus unloaded from the vehicle, all without having a single scratch on them. As if that wasn't amazing enough, she turned her head to see the father coming around to comfort his wife who was holding their baby, still sleeping with her face the portrait of the meaning of calm. It was a damn miracle.

Mr. Ollivander only smiled at these stories before turning his attention to little Trudy. Her dark blue eyes shined in the dimmed family room and she kindly returned his smile. "My dear, you have such beautiful potential."

He began ruffling through his boxes as he explained that Trudy has access to this beautiful gift, but has little control over it. He promised Hogwarts would mold her into a witch capable of the acts that they had spoken of as if it were second nature to her. He then held a wand out to Trudy for her to take. A cherry wood shell with a Phoenix feather core. Mr. Ollivander explained that this is the tool of the Wizarding World and should be treated as such. He instructed Trudy to care for it, never misuse it, and always keep it close. He then promptly rose, gathered his things, and told Trudy's parents a school representative would be in touch to make arrangements for little Trudy to attend Hogwarts. After bidding farewell to all he then departed from the home.

That had seemed so long ago. She had looked up to Mr. Ollivander as a source of inspiration ever since. She respected the old man and often visited the shop every year when she went to buy more school supplies. He had remembered her by name and wand and was delighted to hear she had become a Ravenclaw like himself. He had never denied her time to talk and always had words of wisdom to share with her. She could never adequately describe how thankful she was for that man to show up on her doorstep.

Trudy was brought out of her ponderous meditation at the sound of her father calling up the stairs to notify her that dinner was ready. She unwittingly took the letter down the stairs with her and only realized her death grip on the parchment when her mother brought it to her notice.

"Oh, did your friend from school write back to you honey?" Her mother asked as she began filling plates with the shepherd's pie she had slaved over all night. It was Trudy's favorite.

"Yeah, uh-"

"Yes." Her mother interrupted. Her parents hated words like 'yeah', 'got', and 'whatever.' To them these were lazy words and could easily be replaced with more eloquent alternatives.

"Yes," she corrected herself. "I just got- um, received it today. Archie just returned about an hour ago."

Hearing his name, Archie flew into the small dining room and took at perch on Trudy's father's shoulder.

"Hey buddy," her father greeted as he pet the feathers on Archie's head. The small owl answered with a soft hoot as Daniel Thorne returned to his food. "So, what did your friend have to say?" He inquired.

"Uh..." Trudy stalled. She had to ease into the whole World Cup issue with her parents. She couldn't bring it up to quickly without warming them up first. "He wants to take me to the Quidditch World Cup the week before school." She blurted. _Smooth Trudy. Just smooth._ She bit her bottom lip in apprehension of her parents response.

"Quidditch?" Her mother asked with a frown?

"Magical sport. Similar to footy on broom sticks... Kinda..." Trudy didn't think her parents needed to know about just how physical the game could get. That might be a turn off for them.

"And how long will the game be?" Her father questioned setting done his silverware and interlacing his fingers under his chin, his matching blue eyes meeting his daughters.

"Well... That depends... It's been known to last days, sometimes weeks. But this year there's a really good seeker on one of the teams and if he catches the Snitch fast enough it shouldn't last more than a few hours." Trudy declared hopefully.

"Shannon?" Her father asked turning his head to his wife.

"Well all of what our daughter just said is truly lost to me but I don't see any reason for her not to. I'm sure you'll already be at work and with Trudy out and about I'll be able to pick up an extra shift that night and that should put us over to make the next mortgage payment." Her mother thought out loud.

"I agree," her father added with a small smile and wink to his daughter. He knew how much this would mean to her. The fact that her parents were so open to this made Trudy giddy with excitement. She couldn't wait to tell Thomas.

"However I do have one condition." Her father said interrupting her thoughts. "I need to meet this boy."

"Mmm," her mother mused, "I agree. If a teenage boy is going to be taking our daughter to a football game alone, we should be sure we approve of him. Especially if he's a Slithering."

"Slytherin." Trudy corrected.

"Yes that." Her mother agreed, meeting her daughter's eyes. "I understand you say he's different but from what you told us about that particular house of your school, I'm still a little apprehensive. I will also need to speak to his parents."

"What if he isn't ready to meet you guys?" Trudy asked. Dropping her voice and her eyes she then added, "What if he doesn't want to?"

"Then just explain to him that this isn't a scare tactic or anything like that. We are just taking care of our princess." Her father said with an empathetic smile. "If he can't understand that then I'm not sure I want you hanging around with him." He added.

Trudy nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll let him know."

She could only pray Thomas wouldn't be scared away by all this.

* * *

 **Once again, please review. :) I may or may not stalk the profiles of those who take the time to leave a little something for me.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long wait in between updates. My advancement exam for promotion is coming up and I've been busy with studying. Finally getting to finish this chapter. I decided I didn't like being rushed and doing one year per chapter, so we are going to take things slow for a bit and really get to know Thomas and Trudy these next couple of chapters. Enjoy and review please. They help with the motivation. Thanks guys. :)**

It was day often seen in dreams but rarely experienced for real. The sun was setting into a golden-red horizon, slowly being swallowed by the Atlantic. Orange clouds wisped across the sky like blazing fairytale horse tails spread out on a darkening canvas. For a small village nestled in a comfortable valley an hour south-East of London, the day had been nothing less than perfect. The same couldn't be said for the adolescent boy disembarking from his bus. He had a dinner to be at.

And he was late.

Thomas hastily waved to the bus driver in thanks and took off running in what he prayed was the right direction. Without breaking his pace he pulled out his wand from his back pack and muttered a simple direction spell, commanding his wand to point him the right way. As the wand began to spin in his hand, Thomas thought of all the other underage wizards who would swiftly be hunted down by the ministry for this unlawful use of magic. _Working at ministry headquarters certainly does have its benefits,_ Thomas mused to himself as a smile crept to his face.

The wand slowed and Thomas' smile was lost at the sight of the wand pointing in the opposite direction he was running. With a frustrated "Fuck," and a mumble of an apology for his language to an old lady walking her dog across the street, Thomas expeditiously turned around and followed his wand to his destination.

He and Trudy had sent letters back and forth for the duration of the summer, setting up plans for the World Cup. The deal was for him to meet her parents and stay the night on her couch. The next day they would head to a portkey and be off to the match. His dad had already set up a tent for them to use and his mother made sure it was stocked with food. His parents would be taking the little rat Wallie and meeting up with family friends at the match, leaving Thomas and Trudy to enjoy the experience uninterrupted. Thomas' stomach fluttered at the thought of being able to spend time with only Trudy as his company. He couldn't wait.

When the wand dropped into his hand signaling he had reached his destination, Thomas finally looked up to see a charming, humble 2 story house. He smiled to himself. Of course Trudy lived here. Everything about the place screamed cozy, kind, and inviting. The yard was enclosed by blue fencing with a small pavement walkway leading up to the front door. The house was covered in a ruddy brick complete with a charming chimney. On both sides of the pavement were all manner of flowers, Trudy did mention her mother loved to garden and considered herself an amateur florist. A warm glow illuminated the windows. All in all, the home looked incredibly welcoming.

"Well, better late than never," Thomas muttered to himself as he grasped his wand in his hand. "Orchideous," he said and caught the bouquet of roses as they were projected from the tip of his wand. After tucking his wand in his back pocket Thomas took a deep breath and pushed open the yard gate to make his way to the front door.

After 3 knocks Thomas anxiously awaited the door to open, slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. _She's gonna kill me_ , he thought. He was over an hour and a half late for dinner. Not a great impression to make on the parents of his crush. He was hoping the flowers would help him recover from this hiccup and find favor in the small family's eyes.

The door swung open and Thomas just about dropped the roses in his hand. Standing before him was a blue eyed, raven haired teenager dressed in a white strapless summer dress that descended modestly to her knees. Her hair was curled loosely and fell carelessly down her back. Thomas slowly let his eyes fall the length of her body to drink in the form of the young lady standing in the door way before timidly rising to meet hers. As his chocolate eyes met her deep blue ones, Trudy only magnified her beauty when she gave Thomas a bright smile before stepping forward to throw her arms around his neck to embrace her classmate.

Thomas gladly returned the hug, chastely settling his hands on the small of her back as he slowly breathed in the scent of her hair while his heart joyously announced its excitement.

"Hi," Trudy whispered to him.

"Hi," He whispered back.

"You're late," she teased.

"I blame Wallie. The little pest had run off with my wand. I had to wrestle the damn thing away from him."

Trudy giggled as she pulled away from Thomas, keeping her arms resting on his shoulders and finger tips dancing on the back of his neck."It's not funny." Thomas wined. "He bit my knee. Who bites a knee!?"

"I can't wait to meet him this year."

"I'm sure he'll love you…" Thomas mused as his eyes dropped to Trudy's lips, daring himself to take the chance and discover what flavor chapstick she used today. Trudy took notice of his wandering eyes and silently prayed her cunning Slytherin would be brave enough to lean forward and mold his lips against hers. Despite her desires, Trudy gulped and willed herself to remain immobile instead of closing the gap between their lips. She didn't just want to kiss Thomas, she wanted Thomas to kiss her. When he slowly, ever so gently began to move forward and she felt his hands on her back begin to pull her in, her knees nearly gave out and her breathing stopped.

The two adolescents quickly broke away from their embrace and recovered at the sound of Trudy's mother calling her.

"Trudy, Is that Tommy!?" She called.

"Tommy?" Thomas said, wincing with disgust.

Trudy gave Thomas a pitying glance before responding to her mother, "Yes mother, Thomas is here!"

"Well bring him in so we can get started on dinner! He has to be starving!"

"Come on in," Trudy said with a smile as she lead her guest into her house, taking satisfaction from the redness and warmth on her guest's cheeks still present from their close encounter a minute before.

Suddenly remembering the bouquet of roses in his hand Thomas unexpectedly stopped Trudy on their way to the kitchen. "Your mom likes roses right?" He whispered.

Trudy scrunched her nose in response. "Um..."

"Fuuuuck… Ok I can fix this, what's her favorite flower?"

"Tulips."

"Easy. And favorite color?"

"Green."

Thomas smiled at this. "Your mother has good taste." Thomas whispered as he flicked his wand and the roses turned into a bouquet of Slytherin-green tulips. "How's that?" He asked proudly

"She actually likes mint green, not emerald green. And um... Maybe not on those flowers. Try dark purple for tulips." Trudy chortled.

"Oh…" Thomas said, all pride dropped from his face. "So much for good taste." He muttered as he changed the color of the flora to accommodate.

Trudy playfully slapped his arm and lead him the rest of the way to meet her parents. Thomas mentally prepared himself, repeatedly reminding his mouth not to utter foul language for the next few hours. Trudy gave him fair warning about the strict no swearing policy her parents demanded in the letters they sent the last few weeks.

"Mum, dad, this is Thomas Wombleton. Thomas, these are my parents Daniel and Shannon Thorne."

Thomas immediately snapped into action. "Well good evening my good sir and fair lady. Please do accept my deepest apologies for my late arrival. As a necessary reparation for my tardiness, I have brought these for you m'lady." Thomas said eloquently as he presented, with a slight bow, the magical tulips to Shannon, who's mouth was slightly ajar in surprise. Thomas paid it no mind as he turned to Daniel. "And for you good sir, I-"

"You can stop sounding like a Shakespearian play. Please." Daniel interrupted.

"Oh thank you, there's no way I could have kept that up all night." Thomas admitted. The Thornes all laughed in response. "I actually didn't think to bring you anything sir. Sorry."

"Hey, no worries young man. Just glad you made it here safely." Daniel said with a smile as he stepped forward to shake Thomas' hand.

"And thank you for the flowers." Shannon piped in as she grabbed a vase and began filling with water.

"My pleasure," Thomas said with a grin as he turned to Trudy with his wand in his hand. With a silent mutter of the Orchideous spell another bouquet shot out of Thomas' wand, which he swiftly swiped out of the air before presenting it to her. It consisted of a single Pink Camellia surrounded by matching Azaleas. "These are for you." Thomas said softly as he handed them to Trudy. Trudy gasped as a smile claimed her face. They were gorgeous. More than that, the meaning that the flowers held made them that much more precious. She breathed in the scent of the flora and smiled, lifting her eyes to meet her Slytherin's. Not caring that her parents may object to the contact, Trudy rushed forward and once again embraced Thomas.

Shannon raised her eyebrow at the flowers in her daughter's grip, the meaning of them not lost on her. She was curious if the boy knew as well as her, and how serious this relationship between him and her daughter was. Deciding against bringing it up and ruining the moment for her daughter, she silently grabbed another vase for Trudy's flowers.

The dinner was great. Daniel and Shannon had already eaten but Trudy had refused any food until Thomas showed up. Together the two had made dinner. Trudy taught Thomas one of her favorite meals, Mac 'n Cheese and hot dogs. Thomas had laughed at the bizarre meal but had fun cooking with Trudy and conversing with her parents.

Trudy marveled at how easy Thomas fell into a casual conversation and silently envied him. He made it look so effortless to just keep the conversation moving and the words flowing, to keep people laughing, to pay attention to what's being said, and seem so at ease and comfortable around what were total strangers earlier that night. She could never do that. She never knew what to say or how to act around new people. But Thomas, like everything else in his life, was perfect at it.

While Thomas was conversing with her parents, Trudy took the opportunity to appreciate her guest's appearance. He was wearing a dark button down collared shirt that was left untucked from his dark gray jeans with the sleeves rolled 3/4 of the way and a new pair of converse sneakers, green of course. His usually shaggy, unkept hair was now combed and gelled off to the side. All in all, Thomas pulled off the "Muggle Gentleman" look with flying colors. He looked downright handsome.

After they finished eating, Daniel started a bonfire in the pit in the back yard. All four of them had gathered around the flames, continuing their banter and conversation from inside and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. The Thornes laughed at Thomas' impatience as he lit his marshmallow on fire, unwilling to wait for it to become a tender brown like the others.

As the conversation dwindled, the flames still burned bright and Thomas chanced a glance to Trudy, curled up in a cushioned wooden lawn chair with her body encompassed in a blanket. The flames danced in her pupils giving her cobalt eyes a fierceness that made Thomas go weak. Trudy's eyes abruptly shot toward Thomas to find his already intensely staring into hers. She sent a meek smile his way before bringing up the blanket the hide it before it could get any bigger.

"So Thomas, despite talking all night, I feel we still know very little about you." Shannon stated, interrupting Thomas' appreciation of perfection incarnate.

"I suppose I just find you all incredibly interesting." Thomas said with a half grin tugging at one side of his mouth.

"Uh huh…" Shannon mused.

"Got something to hide son?" Daniel teased.

"No sir. Of course not. It's just… Everybody likes talking about themselves. My dad always tells me not to be that guy. I apologize if I came off as a suspicious delinquent."

The two parents chuckled. "No not at all Thomas. In fact I'm rather impressed with how you presented yourself tonight." Daniel complimented

"Your parents have done quite a good job at raising such a gentleman." Shannon added.

"Not too sure they would agree with you…" Thomas mumbled to himself.

"Hmm?" Shannon questioned, not quite hearing Thomas' response.

"Oh, nothing ma'am." Thomas brushed off, turning in his seat and reaching for more graham crackers and chocolate for another s'more. "I'm glad I've displayed as much. Usually due to the company I'm sorted in with at Hogwarts people often assume I'm the opposite of the impression I've provided tonight." As he spoke he met Trudy's gaze once again. The dark disappointment Trudy had seen for a brief moment caused a small fissure to imprint itself into her heart. She had heard his comment about his parents. How could anybody be disappointed in her Slytherin? Especially his parents. He was perfect. What did they not see? Was it something she was missing? Trudy made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"So Thomas, you were born a wizard?" Trudy's father asked, sensing they should move to another topic.

"I was born into a magical family, yes." Thomas answered, sticking his marshmallow on a stick and putting it directly in the flames. "But a witch or wizard do not become so until they are granted a wand. At that point we are seen as capable and mature enough to wield magic. Trudy was probably a witch before I became a wizard. All depends on when she got her wand."

Thomas pulled the flaming edible pillow out of the fire and blew out the flames, leaving a charred black mess in its place. Just the way he liked it.

"Tommy, could you explain the significance of your wand and its core and whatnot? Trudy has tried but, she uses too big of words and some I'm not even sure are real." Shannon requested. Only Trudy noticed Thomas' jaw clench at the use of Tommy and she once again hid her smile behind the blanket, silently giggling to herself.

Thomas swallowed and stopped himself from correcting Trudy's mother. 'Tommy' sounded so... bitchy. And while it really wasn't a big deal, he preferred Thomas. _Whatever keeps her boat floating, I sure as hell am not going to be the one to tip it over._ "Well Mrs. Thorne. Wands are incredibly complicated. There is thought that they are, in a simple way, sentient. Choosing the hands that are worthy of wielding it. A lot of magic goes into the creation of a wand. In the process it is reasonable to assume that a simple conscious comes into being and resides within the tool that your daughter and I carry."

"There are also others who theorize that wands are unnecessary for the use of magic. This can be demonstrated in potential witches and wizards. It's common for unusual occurrences to take place in the early stages of our lives simply because we lack control over the magic within us. But I'm sure you two have experienced more than your fair share of abnormal phenomenons with your daughter. Obviously, she was using magic before she was granted her wand. So while it may be true that they aren't needed, wands are indeed necessary for magical folk, simply for control."

"Yes, Trudy said something similar but I guess I don't understand what you mean by control. How does a stick offer that?" Daniel innocently questioned. Thomas smiled at the naïveté of the question. He called wands mere sticks. He really had no idea the significance they held.

"Well Mr. Daniel Thorne sir," Thomas caught a muted snicker coming from Trudy at the overuse of formal titles. He bit back his own as he continued. "For me to explain that you need to understand the power inside the wand. To call a wand a stick would be like me calling your daughter beautiful." Both parents raised their eyebrows at this statement, silently demanding that Thomas explain himself. "Both descriptions are painfully simple, insulting, and undeserving of an item of such magnificence."

Thomas ignored the small grins carving their way onto the couple's faces but took note of Trudy's rapidly blushing cheeks as she pulled the blanket up higher. With a wink sent her way he launched into his explanation.

He spoke of Mr. Ollivander's cores and the different effects each one had on the wand. He moved on to how the type of shell could influence the behavior of it. He spoke on how wands used to be made and how Mr. Ollivander revolutionized the industry by standardizing the cores used. By the end of his explanation, he was leaning forward in his seat, eyes bright and excited, eager to help these muggles understand his world.

"So if I had a wand, could I do what Trudy can do if it chose me?" Shannon asked.

"No mum," Trudy intervened. "Muggles don't have magical capabilities. We do. The magic is channeled through us, to the wand."

"I disagree." Thomas said under his breath. Trudy turned to her guest, a startled look plaguing her face. "I mean the wand part is correct, but I wouldn't say muggles are completely incapable of magic." Thomas mused, staring thoughtfully into the flames.

"More on that later." Thomas snapped back to the present. "Your daughter is right. Imagine a fire hose. And if you release water from a source without a hose attached, it will spew out unfocussed and uncontrolled. But when we strap a hose on there we can direct the water flow and wield it to how we see fit." Thomas finished, hoping the parents got the idea.

"You're the water source, the water is your magic, and the hose is your wand." Daniel stated, bringing it all together.

Thomas smiled. "Exactly."

"So what kind of magic do you think we muggles wield?" Shannon asked, silently hoping she didn't misuse the unfamiliar vocabulary her daughter had become so accustomed to.

"Well…" Thomas began, sitting back in his seat preparing himself for the potentially deep discussion they would be getting into. "There's this… boy… at Hogwarts that…" Thomas was struggling to keep a neutral expression. This topic of discussion always managed to piss him off. With a deep sigh he pressed on. "He's famous in the wizarding world for surviving a spell that should have killed him as a baby. There's no defense for this spell, no shield charm that can protect you, but somehow he managed to not only survive, but he also, for all we can tell, destroyed his attacker. All as an infant baby. Please explain to me how that can be done."

Thomas waited to hear any opinions or theories on the matter. Shannon was the first to speak, and what she said made Thomas want to disapparate out of there.

"Well since he was a baby and didn't have his wand, could he have just been so powerful that his unfocussed magic created a barrier and protected him?"

Thomas' jaw clenched and his hands gripped the edge of the seat. He took a moment to rein in his emotions before responding.

"Not quite." He mumbled. After clearing his throat he continued. "I can see why you think that but magic doesn't quite work that way. It is not spontaneous. It must be called upon by the user. When wizards and witches are still young, the mysterious magical acts that occur to us are not random. Take Trudy for example." Thomas knew all bout Trudy's Magical awakening through the many talks at Hogwarts and shared letters over the summer. "All those marvelous acts that happened, I have no doubt that your daughter was the source, but do you see how they didn't happen on accident? She's playing in the garden wanting flowers, so flowers appear. She's walking home preferring she would stay dry on the journey, so dry she stays. And she wills to for everyone to be fine after what should have been a terrible accident, and everyone walks away. Trudy wanted this to happen. She commanded and it was so. That's the nature of magic. That's why we speak words when we cast spells. What we command, is."

"Now, that boy I spoke of had parents. Had. They died that night." He said flatly. He took note of the sad expressions of his audience and reminded himself to at least act a little sorry for Potter when speaking about his past. "But here's the interesting thing," he continued, "The man who killed them does not prefer to spill magical blood unless it is necessary to achieve his end game. I believe he showed up that night only intending to harm the boy. But when his father fought back, his hand was in a way forced. However, curiously, his mother was unarmed when they found her. She could not have fought back. Why would this oppressor kill an unarmed witch?" Thomas paused to ensure his audience was still following along.

"She came in the way of his goal." Shannon whispered, blinking back tears. Thomas held back a scoff. That would be highly insensitive and he could understand why a mother would tear up at the notion of a child loosing his parents, and a mother sacrificing herself for her child. But that didn't change the 'Fuck Potter' attitude Thomas had.

"Exactly. She sacrificed herself for her son and in doing so created a protective barrier around her son from this dark lord." Thomas finished, awaiting the response from his audience.

Daniel was the first to speak. "So how does sacrificing ones self protect another from harm? And what does this have to do with muggles and magic?"

"Well, there is literally a whole religion that centers around a deity coming to earth and dying in order to save his creation, all because he loved them. Love was the source of magic that night, I believe. Love a mother had for her son. And like the great messiah so many base their beliefs off of, her love was so great she willingly laid her life at the oppressor's feet in order to ensure his safety. All for love."

"Now I don't believe that muggles are incapable of love, do you Mr. Thorne?" When Thomas got a shake of the head as a response he turned to Shannon who responded the same. "R. M. Drake once said, 'Your gorgeous chaos was a danger for my beautiful ordinary life, and I knew that. Then suddenly, we became beautifully extraordinary together.' That sounds pretty magical to me. In simple terms, Love is magical, and as our story has illustrated, it's the strongest magic there is and it's accessible to all. Maybe not the kind of magic you were thinking of, but I'd say it still counts..." Thomas trailed off as he licked his fingers clean from the melted marshmallow left over from his s'more.

"I never pegged you to be a hopeless romantic, Tommy." Shannon said with giggle in her voice.

"Oh don't get the wrong idea. I'm not. I'm a realist," Thomas shrugged, "I just read a lot and it seems every great writer is most inspired when love is involved. Whether it be love found or love lost it doesn't seem to make a difference, it all affects us, so it must be very real."

"You're quite an intelligent kid." Daniel observed aloud.

"I try." Thomas shrugged off. Without warning, Archie descended into the circle with an excited hoot and landed on Thomas' shoulder, earning a chuckle from him as he ruffled the feathers on the owl's neck. "Wonderful name for an owl by the way," Thomas commented.

"Well he's a wonderful pet." Shannon responded as she rose from her seat followed by her husband. "It's late. You guys have an early morning so don't stay up too late." Both parents excused themselves, Daniel stopping to give his daughter a kiss before heading inside, leaving Thomas all alone with their daughter.

Trudy's blue eyes looked over to Thomas, who was now suddenly keen at avoiding them. Even though this was not the first time being alone with Trudy, he was overtaken by a sudden nervousness from the privacy that was now offered them. _Don't choke now Thomas. Say something!_

Thomas was brought out of his inner debate by Trudy inviting herself onto Thomas' lap, draping the blanket she had over both of them as she snuggled her forehead into the crook of his neck. Thomas tensed at the contact. His mind froze and suddenly any and all confidence was drained out of him. Oh how the tables have turned, Trudy being the bold one and Thomas the nervous wreck.

"Usually a girl likes to be held…" Trudy hinted expectantly, a giggle on the edge of her words. As Thomas draped his arms to hold Trudy and pull her closer to him, he decided he liked bold Trudy. She was kind of hot.

"You look beautiful tonight." Thomas whispered into into the top of Trudy's head before placing a kiss there and allowing his fingers to caress down her back.

"Thank you. You look quite handsome as well." Trudy responded. "Oh, and thank you for the flowers. They're perfect."

"Eh, they're alright. They pale in comparison to who they were for, but they got the job done."

Trudy let a soft giggle escape her lips. She desperately wanted to know if Thomas knew what the flowers meant, or if he just picked them at random. Before she could muster up the courage to ask, another thought crossed her mind. "Wait a minute. How are you able to do magic? Shouldn't the ministry be busting down our door with how many times I've seen you use your wand tonight? In front of muggles no less!?" Trudy lifted her head to look at Thomas, and was met by one of his perfect smirks gracing his lips.

"Well... I may or may not have tampered with my trace at the Ministry..."

Trudy just shook her head and laughed. While Thomas could be such a sweet and caring gentleman, he was at heart a Slytherin. "And how did you manage that?" Trudy asked as she rested her head back to its previous position.

"Wasn't hard. Everybody there considers their business to be the most important and they are all running around and too busy to notice a lone teenager sneaking in places he shouldn't be."

"Such a Slytherin." Trudy teased.

"And proud of it."

After a brief silence, in which the two teens watched the flames dance to the sounds of crickets, Thomas finally suggested they head to bed. "We can't be late for the port key, and I haven't mastered Disapparation yet so I have no back up plan on getting there."

"How could possibly already be practicing disapparation?" Trudy questioned suspiciously.

"Tampered trace, remember?" Thomas joked as they stopped at the stairs leading to second floor of the house and Trudy's bedroom.

"Well... see you tomorrow." Thomas said.

Trudy gave a smile in response and a whispered good night before she started ascending the stairs. When she got to her bedroom she saw the flowers Thomas gave her on her dresser, causing her stomach to erupt into butterflies. A single Pink Camellia, meaning 'Longing for you,' and a collection of pink Azaleas, meaning 'First Love.'

 **So what do you think? Ya think Thomas knew the meaning of the flowers? And what could cause his parents to be disappointed in him? Also, Wallie is quite a pest for a rat... Hmmm... I wonder if there's a detail we're missing. We will find out next chapter.**


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